Sunday, June 30, 2013

Are you a fan of snowmen stamps? If so, you can join the Frosty Club along with Vicki Garrett.

"I LOVE the snowman soup set [from Inky Antics]!" she proclaims. "My mom and I have been making snowman soup for years, and I love that I can stamp the sentiment where I want it! The sweet little snowman in the bowl is to DIE for!!!"

"The most important thing I’ve learned is to be the judge of my own work. If I enjoy what I am doing and I like what I create, that is all that matters," shares Vicki.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and you are your own best beholder. Enjoy the process and don’t waste time determining whether your creation is as pretty as someone else’s. If you like it, that is what counts. Enjoying the benefit of the gift of a smile from the receiver of your card , layout or hand stamped creation is worth more than anything else."

Well said, Vicki! Won't you please help me thank her for joining us this month and sharing her wonderful talent with us, by leaving a comment at the end of this post?

Your comment will also enter you in a BLOG CANDY giveaway. On Wednesday, July 3rd, I'll randomly choose the winner for 10936MC Snowman Soup Clear Set. I'll post that person's name here on the blog, so please check back to see if you've won!

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Our friend Becky O'Donnell is hosting the 5th Annual Stamp Art Get Together. This event will be held on Sunday, August 25th, at 9:30-11:30 AM, and it's FREE with purchase of your weekend pass to the convention.

It includes the opportunity to make several make & take projects, and you can also participate in five different optional swaps. Becky, also known as KewlKat on Splitcoast, has provided details in this post. (Or, if you wish to contact Becky directly, you can email her.)

If you're interested, please don't wait...it's limited to the first 50 people who have registered and sent in their paperwork. Becky's events are always a lot of fun, and this will be a wonderful addition to your activities at the show that weekend!

Friday, June 28, 2013

As you've probably figured out from my blog posts and so many of our Inky sayings, I'm a real "word nerd." Puns just make me smile!

If you're like me this way, you'll enjoy today's jokes:

Compliments at the Bar

A businessman walked into a bar, sat down, and ordered a beer. As he sipped the beer, he heard a voice say, "Nice tie!"

Looking around, he saw that the bar was empty, except the bartender who was all the way at the other end of the bar.
The man shrugged and was about to take a sip of his beer when the same voice said, "Nice haircut!"

The man called the bartender over. "I could be losing my mind," he told the bartender. "I keep hearing these voices saying nice things to me, but there's no one in here but us."

"Oh, it's the peanuts," the bartender said, pointing to a bowl of peanuts sitting on the bar.

A farmer was milking his cow. He was just starting to get a good rhythm going when a bug flew into the barn and started buzzing around his head. The farmer swatted at it, missed it, and kept on milking his cow.

Suddenly, the bug flew into the cow's ear. The farmer didn't think much about it, until the bug squirted out into his bucket. Apparently, it went in one ear and out the udder.

The Boastful Chess Players

Several chess players were standing in the lobby of a hotel, talking to each other. One chess player mentioned a victory he recently had, then another talked about a tournament he won, and then a third told a story of winning his most difficult chess game ever.

After about an hour, the hotel manager came from around the front desk and asked them to leave the lobby.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Over the years, we've seen several great creations using this versatile set. Today's projects come from the archives of our long-time friend and talented stamper Keri Lee Sereika.

This first layout is simple and classic. Being more of a right-brained person, I find its symmetry very appealing...yet I can also appreciate the offset sentiment tag, which adds an extra touch of whimsy:

Here's a lovely card by itself, but it's even better when paired with the adorable gift bag made with our 10189X Tall Bag Template stamp:

Speaking of ensembles, this cheerful grouping includes a pretty greeting card, book mark, and tote:

I'm a big fan of interactive cards or anything with a unique twist, so this pocket card with its pull-up insert is right up my alley:

Which of these is your favorite? Thanks for stopping by, and hope you have a marvelous day!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Last Friday's post showed how sometimes the simple things in life are the best. Today's card from Vicki Garrett illustrates this concept in action...stamping style!

"I am a person that enjoys variety in all aspects of my life, so I’m not surprised that my style fluctuates with my mood," she says. "I’m not a creature of habit or routine, which seems to be apparent in my artwork."

Vicki started with images from 10932MC Marvelous Match-Ups:

"I am a very visual person, so I think a lot of [inspiration for my projects] is stored in my head," she explains. "Because I’m a busy chick, I don’t have a lot of time to spend online, however I see colour combinations in nature and in my daily travels."

I'm not sure how Vicki decided to combine yellow, magenta, orange, light green, and violet blue...but it's a delightful and surprising mix of bold colors that work great together! She randomly scattered them across the panel using the flower petal, plaid center, leafy stem, and polka dot elements:

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Several years ago, one of my very first flower garden successes was growing snapdragons. I remember sitting outside for quite a while one sunny evening, gently squeezing the sides to make the "dragon" open and close his mouth, and being entertained by this simple delight.

I thought you might be interested in looking at Nancy's first project using this image...before it even became a stamp:

That's right, she drew it in her sketchbook and then turned it into a card. You can see it's a bit different than the final version, but close enough so that you could create a very similar one using your stamps.

And that's an awesome thing about stamps...they are perfect for those of us who cannot draw (like me!) but still want to create using images. Anyone can learn to color and blend, especially with Gamsol and pencils, and then put together a simple layout.

Here is Nancy's most recent snapdragon card with a lovely vintage appeal, made with her actual stamp set this time:

Her highlights and shadows really make the image stand out:

You can read more about Nancy's process in her blog post. Thanks to Dina, Michelle, and Nancy for sharing their wonderful projects!

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Note From Jackie: Oops, I thought I'd scheduled this entry to auto-post yesterday, but apparently I'd just saved the draft. Sorry for being late, but it works out one day closer to the topic anyway. :-)

Four men are in the hospital waiting room because their wives are having babies. A nurse goes up to the first guy and says, “Congratulations! You’re the father of twins.”

“That’s odd,” answers the man. “I work for the Minnesota Twins!”

A nurse says to the second guy, “Congratulations! You’re the father of triplets!”

“That’s weird,” answers the second man. “I work for the 3M Company!”

A nurse tells the third man, “Congratulations! You’re the father of quadruplets!”

“That’s strange,” he answers. “I work for the Four Seasons hotel!”

The last man is groaning and banging his head against the wall. “What’s wrong?” the others ask.

“I work for 7 Up!”

Q: How is the baby bird like its dad?
A: It’s a chirp off the old block.

* * *

Papa Bear

My husband’s cousin married a former Marine who now works for United Parcel Service. They bought their four-year-old son two stuffed bears—one in a UPS uniform and the other in Marine garb.

When the boy seemed confused, his father brought out a picture of himself in full Marine dress. “See, Connor?” he explained, pointing to the photo and then to the bear. “That’s Daddy.”

Connor’s eyes went from one to the other, and then he asked in a puzzled voice, “You used to be a bear?”

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Many of our Inky customers and friends have fascinating jobs, but this is the first time I've met one who facilitates correctional treatment programs for federally sentenced men, which is what Vicki Garrett does.

"[I] love my work," she asserts, "as it’s ever changing and there is rarely a dull moment." Wow, I can imagine that must be very true!

Vicki is also a mom to an "almost-17-year-old man child" and her "fur baby, Sydney the Shi-Tzu," so she is surrounded by males. In keeping with a masculine theme, she made this delightful card for today's project:

Jennifer Scull said...
I LOVE the little pins in the honeycomb on this cutey cute card! it's those fun extra touches that bring the smiles!
welcome, Vicki!!!! :)
June 2, 2013 at 8:29 AM
For her prize, Jennifer has won 11153MC Sewing Mousie
HoneyPOP Clear Set (drawn by artist Tammy DeYoung), along with a Red Honeycomb Paper Pad:

In addition, she will receive 10934MC Sew Many
Stitches Clear Set:

Thanks to
everyone for helping me welcome Vicki Garrett as Inky's Guest
Designer in June. Stay tuned for her next delightful project coming this Sunday!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

I'm not usually a big tea drinker, but recently I picked up a few boxes of different flavors at the grocery store. I thought it might help me to cut back on my diet pop consumption, and better to replace it with something natural.

However, I haven't yet cracked open my first box. Perhaps if I had a lovely fixture like the one in 11148MC Tea Time Clear Set (drawn by artist Nancy Baier) sitting in my kitchen or dining room, I might remember to fetch myself a "cuppa" each morning:

Michelle Pearson featured the Tea Time Washstand image (0543K in wood mounted) and You're My Cup saying (0532E in wood mounted) in this pretty card:

Sunday, June 2, 2013

"I love to watch young children create," shares Vicki Garrett. "The beauty of their art is in their ability to truly enjoy the process without fear of failure."

Adults, of course, can often have a more difficult time because they've learned to censor themselves. But it's good to practice letting go.

"Relax! Just allow yourself to create without limitations," she suggests. When you see this month's projects, I think you'll agree this Canadian from Kingston, Ontario has followed her own advice quite nicely:

Would you like the chance to win a prize pack valued at nearly $30? Just leave a comment at the end of this post helping me welcome Vicki Garrett this month, and you'll be entered in a BLOG CANDY giveaway.

On Wednesday, June 5th, I'll randomly choose the winner for the
same clear sets and honeycomb paper that Vicki used above and post that person's name...so please
check back to see if you've won!

About Me

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